Team Herald
PANJIM: The Directorate of Mines and Geology sold approximately 0.81 million tonnes of iron ore of the total 15.7 million tonnes through e-auction generating revenue of Rs 61.90 crore.
The 26th e-auction was held on Tuesday after it was earlier fixed on August 27. Of these the department e-auctioned approximately 1.57 million tonnes of ore and sold 0.81 million tonnes thereby generating total value at bid price of approximately Rs 61.90 crore.
The decision to sell the remaining about 0.75 million tonnes of ore will be taken shortly, a government official said.
The ore which was extracted and lying at different mines, jetties and plots at Cudnem, Sonus-Onvalim, Pissurlem, Vagus plant, Pale mine, Kotambi jetty, Collem and Cauvem plant were e-auctioned.
After the halting of mining operations in the State, the mines dept has been conducting e-auctions of the iron ore which was declared illegally mined and which was in its custody after the SC held that the deemed mining lessees expired after November 22, 2007.
From the 25 e-auctions held since November 2014, the department sold about 14 million tonnes and the government generated revenue of Rs 1,300 crore.
The mining operations in the State have been banned after SC quashed second renewal of 88 mining leases in Feb 2018. Since the State government has been making efforts to resume mining activity and all eyes are now on CM Pramod Sawant, who announced that the mining operations will restart within next three months.
The government had also established the Goa Mining Development Corporation in a bid to restart mining in the State.
